The reveal afterward, when Fairplay announces his grandma is “probably at home watching Jerry Springer right now,” is a literal jaw-dropper.įrom there, Fairplay leverages his grandma’s death to his advantage, using it to get people on side and pulling off blindsides on the likes of Tijuana Bradley and Christa. Well, everyone except for Sandra, who doesn’t really care and continues trying to win the Loved Ones challenge. When Fairplay’s friend Thunder D reveals that Fairplay’s grandma “died, dude,” the first reaction from the tribe and Jeff Probst is sympathy. Of course, I’m talking about the dead grandma lie.
#Best survivor seasons tv
Things only get crazier from there, as what Fairplay does next goes down in reality TV infamy. This vote-off shakes up the game and leads to the hilarious moment when Sandra pours out the fish and (accidentally) gets her friend Christa Hastie blamed. Then we see the true birth of Jonny Fairplay, as he and Burton reconnect and pull off an epic blindside on fan-favorite Rupert. The Pearl Islands post-merge is one of the best ever, starting with Lill’s revenge on her old Morgans, seeing off Savage and Ryan Opray. Also, the twist ultimately pays off because the returning Burton and Lill add to the fluidity and drama of the post-merge gameplay. It doesn’t happen again at the Final 6 like Redemption Island and Edge of Extinction (those twists would likely have been better regarded had they stopped at the merge). However, the format of having the Outcasts vote for which two of them should return is an interesting spin, and at least it ends at the merge. Sure, it’s massively unfair having eliminated players living at Ponderosa and then coming back into the game. In its defense, the Outcasts tribe at least fits in with the whole pirate theme (a theme that gives the season its unique look and feel). It’s a testament to how excellent Pearl Islands is that it can comfortably take the number one spot even with this twist. Obviously, we have to talk about the controversial Outcasts twist. All the while, there are humorous character moments like Osten and Pelican Pete, Rupert and the makeshift skirt, and Sandra raiding the Morgan camp while giving zero f***s about it. This sees the blindside of Burton Roberts after his own plan to throw the Immunity challenge, and Fairplay’s first attempt to oust Rupert, which backfires spectacularly, leading to the “WHO THE F**K VOTED FOR ME?!” outburst. The Drake tribe is also fraught with tension and sneaky schemes bubbling beneath the surface. The more dominant Drake tribe sees the rise of Rupertmania and the hilarious battles between Sandra and Jonny Fairplay. There is the early losing streak of the Morgan tribe and the testing relationship between Andrew Savage and Lillian Morris. Honestly, there is never a dip in Pearl Islands.
It’s arguably the best start to a season ever and a perfect way to get to know the castaways and their personalities.Īfter that exhilarating introduction, the season doesn’t let up from there. This leads to some instantly classic moments, from Osten Taylor literally selling the clothes off his back (except his underwear), Sandra Diaz-Twine using her Spanish to snatch some bargains, a flirtatious shop owner wanting to trade for a night with Trish Dunn, and, of course, Rupert Boneham stealing the other tribe’s abandoned shoes. Things only get more exciting when the two tribes arrive at a Panamanian fishing village and are made to barter for supplies.
The cast-expecting a press photoshoot-is suddenly jolted into the game, tossed overboard in their non- Survivor attire, including everything from Armani suits to a Boy Scouts uniform. Much like with Borneo, the season grabs you from its opening moments. In fact, the gameplay in Pearl Islands is some of the most fluid and surprising in the show’s history-and this was before immunity idols and thousands of advantages. Pearl Islands is an old school season, so the editing is well-balanced, and there’s more focus on characters, but it’s not so old-school to where the gameplay is predictable.
It’s truly the quintessential Survivor season, containing everything that makes the show so great: an incredible cast, exciting gameplay, a well-worked theme, fun challenges, jawdropping moments, humor, drama, emotion, etc. If you were to show a new viewer one season to get them hooked on Survivor, in my opinion, it would be Pearl Islands.
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